A Little Imagination Can Create Unlimited Possibilities

June 16, 2010
|

REDMOND, Wash. — June 16, 2010 — It’s amazing how a little imagination and forward thinking can change the world. Where would we be today without advances in medicine like the MRI, technology like PCs and the Internet, or communication devices like cell phones?

Team T.M.D. from Brazil is working on a project called Recycle-Box.

To help cultivate creativity from around the globe, the finals for Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is just around the corner. Imagine Cup is a student technology competition created to showcase innovative ideas that can change the world. More than 100 countries are currently competing in Imagine Cup with the finals taking place July 3–8 in Warsaw, Poland. This year’s theme is to imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.

Once again, Windows Embedded has its own category at this year’s competition with the key theme being green technology and organizers have been blown away by the entries so far, which include ideas ranging from recycling, assisting the elderly, and creating a better living environment for everyone.

Team T.M.D from Brazil is currently working on an innovative project built with Windows Embedded called “Recycle-Box.” The product would be equipped with sensors that can identify if trash is paper, plastic, glass or metal for easy separation. Combine this with a device that has wheels or limbs and you’ve got something right out of the future.

Taiwan’s team, SmarterME, is creating on an advancement to the plain-old electronic smart meter you have at your home. This “Smarter Meter” would allow homeowners to view how much energy a specific appliance uses, and gives a more accurate reading of power consumption levels.

In Bulgaria, team Krali Marko is developing a “Green Monitor,” which collects information from vehicles to better define when it’s ready for maintenance. For example, this monitor can let you know when your air filter needs to be changed, which helps reduce excessive air pollution. Even cooler is that it will also help users drive in a more environmentally friendly way by letting them know the best speed to drive in given areas.

Team Vaccine from the United States is creating an embedded device and application to assist the World Health Organization (WHO) — as well as others — to make sure children being immunized are accurately monitored. This “Vaccine Tracker Application” would be made to increase the number of immunized children, and decrease the worldwide number of deaths from preventable diseases.

Team Krali Marko is developing a project called Green Monitor.

The winner of the Embedded Development category will win $25,000, second place gets $10,000, and third walks away with $5,000.

Interested in checking out all of the Imagine Cup finalists and vote for your favorite? You can vote for your favorite embedded project right now at the official Imagine Cup website.

The Windows Embedded team will be onsite of the Imagine Cup and will be publishing stories every day. Stay tuned to the Windows Embedded Newsroom and the team’s Twitter feed for updates from the event.